A variety of Verizon network and equipment failures have disrupted 911 emergency call service in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, leading to demands for investigations and an upgrade from local and federal officials. The most recent breakdown occurred Friday in Fairfax and Arlington counties, where a Verizon equipment failure caused some 911 calls from cell phones to be met with a busy signal or no sound at all, according to county officials. Service was interrupted beginning at about 9:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in Arlington, and until about 5:45 p.m. in Fairfax. Calls from landlines were not affected.

Fairfax spokesman Jim Person said that overall call volume was not affected, and that to his knowledge no major disasters went untended.